Ella Menopee

Yes, possibly. They didn't give an explanation, just said they didn't take things for ragging.

Most charity shops will take rags for textile recycling. I’ve also donated to Christopher’s, Shelter on LL and Scope in Camberwell. The only one I’ve known to refuse is the Oxfam in Herne Hill.

If there was a safeguarding failure of the magnitude you’re describing then it should have been referred to Ofsted. There may well be an investigation and/or subsequent inspection triggered by this. Schools are required to publicise no-notice inspections on their websites so you may not have long to wait to find out if this is the case.

No, it’s been made clear that it will apply to fee payments for the terms from the 1st of Jan onwards. So if you pay in Sept for the whole year, terms 2 and 3 will still attract VAT. Only long term genuine pay in advance programmes where the payment was made before 29 July will not attract VAT.

This company is running a course at Dulwich College in August: https://www.typingscool.co.uk/courses/holiday-courses/

Can anyone recommend puppy training classes in East Dulwich/Dulwich/Herne Hill? I started looking online and was overwhelmed with the options so a personal recommendation would be great.

I was in this position several years ago and found a local university student to take my son to school. I found her via the Next Door forum. You could also look for a local childminder that does school drop offs.

Top of Lordship Lane near the Dulwich Library. I can vouch for the quality of the chips, they are excellent. Crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

I tried one of those 'find a test slot" websites but with no joy. I finally got a test slot for February in Mitcham by checking in every week or so and looking for cancellations. Let's hope it's the only one I need.

Just also be aware that many rescues won’t rehome dogs to families with primary school aged children so that may be another consideration.

Why? How is this different from the bike mugging that have been going on? Perhaps neither school or the police are aware yet and in any case, it’s good for locals to be aware of local crimes, not turn the other way.

The outcome of the H&S prosecution has been reported: https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Feducation%2F2023%2Faug%2F29%2Findependent-rosemead-school-fined-80000-over-classroom-ceiling-collapse. £80 000 fine. The photo of the classroom after the collapse is rather disturbing.

Does anyone know if this is working at the moment?

Hi Janeyjane, I’ve just passed my theory but haven’t had lessons as such yet. I learned to drive abroad but want to get my UK licence rather than exchange my current one. London conditions are nothing like my experience.

Since I can’t seem to book a test anywhere in London for the rest of this year, it got me thinking about the different venues. I think the nearest ones to me are Hither Green, West Wickham and Mitcham. in the event of maybe being able to book a test next year, does anyone have any wisdom to pass on about these test centres or any others? Any tricky sections of road that are best avoided? Do local instructor favour any particular centre?

Thanks upperground. I might have to resort to online. My son’s not really a self-starter though.

It was hit by a car. Southwark took it down and won’t replace it as apparently one of the business owners on that stretch of road objects to it being reinstalled.

Can anyone recommend or point me to a local(ish) touch typing course running over the holidays? I know there is one at Bell House but we are away that week in July. I’ve found quite a few online but want in person.

For many years we used Maximum Potential in West Norwood. They specialise in children and have a sensory integration focus.

That’s a shame about the school - a diagnosis should be accepted regardless of the letterhead it’s written on.

Just another thought - are CAMHS disputing the private diagnosis? If you can get them to accept it, then this might be a way to effectively get a CAMHS diagnosis.

Hi, we have had a shared care agreement with our GP in Herne Hill and a private psychiatrist for about 3 years now. I don’t know if it helps that he also has an NHS post. Interestingly CAMHS refused to enter into a shared care agreement with the psychiatrist as they wanted to persist with (evidently not working) behavioural therapies rather than medication. They wanted sole control. We did go through several months of paying for private prescriptions before the shared care agreement was set up but it’s worked smoothly since. Has the medical centre said why they the won’t enter into a shared care agreement and have you raised this with the private psychiatrist?

There’s also the room above the railway station in Herne Hill. https://www.stationhallhernehill.org/

First of all I wanted to say how sorry I am to hear about your wife. You have a lot to bear, especially with young children. If you live in Herne Hill or Dulwich you would triple your access to train lines as you would have London Bridge from North Dulwich station, and Victoria from Herne Hill as well and Farringdon, City Thameslink and King’s Cross from Herne Hill. The overground at Denmark Hill is also a short bus ride away. That would get you to Canary Wharf. I think with your budget you would easily find somewhere to rent and then you can reassess after a year. I looked on Rightmove and there is a cottage on Dekker Rd which is Dulwich/East Dulwich for well under your current rent. Good luck!